Are Butyl Tapes Equal?

No, not all equal.

3 basic types:

1) Your basic cheap putty tape.
This stuff is junk and holds no place in an RV.

2) Poly-butyl blend. (IIRC, that's what it's called)
Better, but still nothing to write home to mother about.

3) Pure butyl tape.
The most expensive but the best choice. It sticks very well to all surfaces, never hardens or crumbles and remains pliable for years. And its a bear to remove. That's a plus, not a negative.

As you said, for a few bucks more a roll, get the good stuff. It is well worth it. I have a part roll of it in my box of goodies I keep in my TT and it is still soft and pliable in spite of being many years old.

I personally would not buy this type of stuff from Amazon. Chances are it comes from China and holds the same quality as their tires....
You may pay more, but find some good old Made in USA product.

This info is based on my experience from a bunch of years ago. Maybe they have something better now, I don't know.

Consider using Eternabond. That stuff seriously sticks!!!

Where would be a good source to buy pure butyl tape or ernabond?

OkieGene wrote:
Consider using Eternabond. That stuff seriously sticks!!!

Eternabond tape and butyl tape is not the same and used for different purposes. Chuck

bajajoaquin wrote:
Where would be a good source to buy pure butyl tape or ernabond?

I have purchased my Eternabond tape for many years from Best Materials but they also sell Butyl Rubber sealant tape.

Here is the 4 inch Eternabond tape that I have used extensively on my roof. It has been on there for almost 15 years and was just recently removed when I had my roof recovered.

I have found that Best Materials usually has the best price for most roofing/caulking type products.
Barney

Thank you very much. Can I impose a bit more? What is the difference in use cases for eternabond and butyl tape? Which would be better for my application?

For one rather obvious difference, butyl tape is used sandwiched between two surfaces, while Eternabond goes across a joint or hole. Put another way, butyl tape is double-sided tape, while Eternabond is single-sided tape.

Awesome, thank!

^^^^^Correct^^^^^. If you want something to go under the feet of something being mounted you would not use Eternabond. Use the tape and then cover the screw with Dicor so you can get all around the foot, tape and screw. If you want to seal edges of things (vents, drip edges, etc.), Eternabond is a great application.

bajajoaquin wrote:
Thank you very much. Can I impose a bit more? What is the difference in use cases for eternabond and butyl tape? Which would be better for my application?

For your application you need butyl tape. Chuck